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<h1>
    THE BACKYARDIGANS
</h1>

<p class="albumList">
  <a href="#backyardigans">The Backyardigans</a><br />
</p>

<p>Okay, who knows, maybe this <em>is</em> turning into Sir Mustapha's Chilren Cartoons Reviews Page, but so what? Anyone's going to kill me for that? I doubt it. And whomever would want to kill me for being a fan of the Backyardigans can only be a MORON, you know. Yes, I can just go ahead and say I'm a fan of this show without feeling at all embarrassed, and I'm proud of that. But then again, I have admitted being a fan of so many other cartoons here that another one wouldn't make any difference.</p>

<p>Suffice to say, I met the Backyardigans in 2005, when they came to Brazil. It wasn't love at first sight, but once I paid attention to that show, I <em>knew</em> I was in for something special. And currently, it's tied with <em>Jakers! The Adventures Of Piggley Winks</em> as my favourite cartoon of all time, above Bob The Builder and Little Robots. No mean feat at all, considering I'm so hard to please when it comes to TV and movies - lessee, I hate Pixar, can't stand Disney, and about 90% of all other stuff going on TV passes right through me. The Backyardigans, though, have become almost an obsession to me. And it helps that my niece also adores that show. And it also helps that <em>A LOT</em> of people in this country have found themselves entranced by the show, just like me - be it because of their children or because of themselves. What I know is that The Backyardigans hit the world like a hurricane, and swept away every country it's been in. And not by cheap, insistent promoting, no sir! This is a fine example of a show that won the world with <em>quality</em>. I can speak volumes about it, but I'll try to be concise.</p>

<p>First, forget all you know about children's shows. Yes, I mean <em>everything</em>. Now, imagine a world in which young children are treated like intelligent, creative human beings, and grown-ups actually try to estimulate their imagination and creativity in positive, constructive, entertaining ways - and what's better, entertaining the grown-ups themselves in the process. If there was to be one TV show for children in such a world, it would be The Backyardigans. Just watching one episode of it is enough to evidence that it's made by professional, talented people who actually respect and care about their main audience - the kids. And if you think that children's shows have to mandatorily annoy grown-ups, this show will prove you wrong once and for all. Yes, I used similar arguments to defend the aforementioned <em>Jakers!</em> on this site, but bear in mind that the Backyardigans is targeted for a younger audience.</p>

<p>To begin with the basics, the show is built on such a simple, obvious concept that it's impossible to think that no one ever thought about such a thing before. Five kids share a backyard, and every afternoon, they gather together (though sometimes one or two is missing - more on that later) to have a completely new, exciting adventure on a distant, exotic place of the world. To accomplish that, they "transform" their backyard into whatever their minds can come up with: be it the North Pole, or the middle or the ocean, or a tropical desert island, or a dense jungle, they can do it. The adventures are always varied, with the kids sometimes taking different roles, which often lead to unexpected, interesting situations. One of the kids is Pablo, a blue penguin who's the most spontaneous, energetic and impulsive of them all; such a quirky personality often makes him go off on a panic attack, running around in circles and blabbering nonsense until someone calls his attention. His best friend is Tyrone, an orange moose, who is almost the opposite; cool-headed, tranquil, and sometimes quite sarcastic, he's responsible for some of the cleverest, funniest remarks on the show. When someone finds a shovel on the sand just when they need digging, or ponies when they need galloping, he won't hesitate and say "that certainly is convenient!". As for the girls, Uniqua is just what her name suggests: a totally unique creature in the world, coloured pink with purple polka dots. She's active, a bit mischievous, and is always having ideas. A natural born leader she is, and her best friend is Tasha, the yellow hippopotamus. Tasha isn't a natural leader, but she sometimes wants to be in the centre of things, which causes her to be a little rude or bossy. But that's only sometimes, and most times she's a great friend, and uses her strong personality to put her hands on her hips, frown and say "oh, for goodness' sakes!" when things don't go the expected way. The fifth character is Austin, the purple kangaroo, which is the newest neighbour, and didn't know the other four too well, so he was a bit shy and retracted the first times they met. But time showed his self-esteem, and most importantly, his huge concern about his friends. He always tries to help them whenever he can.</p>

<p>Tasha and Austin are absent on some episodes, and the two were together on only five occasions; and in two episodes, both were absent. The reasons for that are never made clear. But that's okay, since kids can always imagine what's going on. When we were kids, there were also days when some of our friends could not come out to play, for some reason or other. The same happens there. What really matters is that the stories are amazingly well written. The plots sometimes take very commonplace themes like pirates, vikings, superheroes, cowboys, cavemen, etc., but always use them in interesting, tricky ways. And the stories often lead to <em>amazingly</em> fun, interesting situations: my favourite is in <em>Riding The Range</em>, in which Pablo, with the aid of the two girls, is tracking a bandit who stole Uniqua's jumprope. When they get into trouble, they are aided by Cowboy Tyrone, who has to get to Texas for a hoedown. What they don't know is that it was <em>Tyrone</em> himself took the jumprope when he found it on the ground, and all the the three cowboys are being helped by who they believe is a bandit. I have the vague feeling that plots like those aren't very common in these kinds of shows. But it's not just the plots themselves: the characters are amazing, and all episodes manage to feature interesting aspects of their personalities, which make them seem very, very human and real. There's no "goody goody" syrup at all: they get into conflicts (I worship the "culture clash" between the famed scientist and the tarzans of the jungle, in <em>The Heart Of The Jungle</em>), tensions, and difficult, odd situations like Tasha becoming Princess Cleotasha of the Ancient Egypt, and bossing her three servants around without ever saying "please" or "thank you", in <em>The Key To The Nile</em>. And you know, the simple, but fascinating thing that catches me when I'm watching the show is that I'm simply watching kids play. The show's nothing but that, in essence: kids playing together. And it's such a rewarding, refreshing experience, especially because it's not idealised, in the sense of being "perfect". To me, that's the crucial flaw of shows like Barney, and the greatest strength of The Backyardigans over them is the quirky spots that make it so amazing.</p>

<p>The show was created by Janice Burgess, for Nick Jr., and is entirely animated using CGI. It's a very colourful, beautiful, detailed animation which shall please almost everyone. But one of the best things about it is that the voice actors are <em>all</em> children. And they are <em>brilliant</em> actors on their own rights. LaShawn Jefferies made her debut in this show, as Uniqua, providing her sweet, delicate voice that's always a pleasure to hear. Tasha is voiced by Naelee Rae, who had already appeared in TV shows like <em>The Pratice</em> and <em>Law &amp; Order: Criminal Intent</em>. Pablo is voiced by Zach Tyler Eisen, who has already had a voice acting job on <em>Little Bill</em>. Tyrone is handled by newcomer Reginald Davis, Jr., and his voice fit the character like a glove: smooth, subtle, ironic in the right measures. And Austin's voice is done by Jonah Bobo, who did his first voice acting job in this show, and was featured in the movie <em>Zathura</em>. I can say he's my favourite actor of the lot, not to put down the work of the other four, but because he's one of the best actors I've ever seen on screen; I say that after watching <em>Around The Bend</em>, in which he starred next to Christopher Walken and Josh Lucas, when he was 7 years old. Check him out, if you can.</p>

<p>But hey... isn't this a <em>music</em> website? Well, yes, it is! And this page is here because, aside from everything I've already mentioned, The Backyardigans is a musical show. The episodes feature songs, which the characters themselves sing, but this is music unlike <em>any</em> music you've ever heard on a kids show. First off, all of it was written by composers Douglas Wieselman and Evan Lurie (the latter's the keyboardist of The Lounge Lizards), and all of it was performed by actual, professional bands. And the most important factor: each episode features a different style of music. The first season presents twenty episodes, so that means, yes, <em>twenty different musical genres</em>: reggae, tango, 60's rock, zydeco, bossa nova, mambo, R&amp;B, polka, Gilbert &amp; Sullivan... you've got it all. And we're talking about memorable, intelligent, catchy songs here! Really. And just like all vocal actors are kids, the songs are all sung by kids as well. That means: each character has an actor <em>and</em> a singer. Luckily, their voices are similar enough, sometimes nearly identical. Uniqua's singing is done by the prodigy Jamia Simone Nash, who was already well known in the US before the show. And, boy, <em>what</em> singer she is! But Kristin Klabunde, who sings for Tasha, isn't too far behind. Those two girls alone make the show a must watch. As for the boys, Sean Curley does Pablo's parts, Thomas Sharkey does Austin's parts, and Corwin Tuggles does Tyrone's parts - that is, on the first season. He was replaced by Jordan Coleman, for the second season. Oh, well... he was good while he was on. And what I'll be reviewing below is the <em>music</em> to the show, not the episodes, or anything. So sit back and be prepared for plenty of INSANE RAVING. You're warned.</p>

<p><a href="mailto:sirmustapha@gmail.com">Mail your ideas</a>!</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="backyardigans">The Backyardigans (2005)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Into The Thick Of It</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Theme Song <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>You And Me To The Rescue <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Castaways <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Questing, Questing <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>A Pirate Says Arrr! <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Yeti Stomp <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Queens Are Never Wrong</li>
  <li>Those Bones</li>
  <li>Buffalo Girls &amp; Boys <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Trudge, Trudge, Trudge <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Secret Agent</li>
  <li>Laser Limbo Tango <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Row Your Boat <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Into The Thick Of It ++</span></li>
  <li>P.U.! (Stinky Swamp Song) <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Flying Rock Song <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">When I'm Booin' ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Please And Thank You ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Rockabilly Lullaby ++</span></li>
</ol>

<p>The first release brings us 19 songs, which cover thirteen episodes out of the twenty produced for season one. Clocking at just thirty-six minutes, it looks rather... ehn, a rather weak release, since each episode features <em>four</em> different songs. Add the theme song, and you have a whooping EIGHTY-ONE songs in total - and that's not counting that some songs are played several times in an episode! See, the reasons for such a short release might be various: they wanted to save up material for other releases (at that rate, they'd need four CDs to cover up the entire season!), or they wanted to keep the package tight, eclectic and thoroughly enjoyable. And it <em>is</em> all of that. Thing is, as a fan of the show, and knowing <em>all</em> songs from <em>all</em> episodes, some of them entirely by heart, I can't help but feel that the release could have been better compiled.</p>

<p>But don't look so disappointed, because even not being as good as it can be, it's still <em>STUPENDOUSLY, JAW-DROPPINGLY SPECTACULAR</em>; if only because a Backyardigans song is, after all, a Backyardigans song. And even if you throw all songs on a hat, shake them all up and pick nineteen tracks completely at random, you'll have a great listen ahead. I'm not exaggerating, people! There are very few songs that I can honestly say I don't care much for, but they make up what? Less than 10% of their total output? Possibly. And still, the album manages to be very representative of this fraction of the first season. Oddly enough, the enhanced CD features a video for 'Go! Go! Go!', from the episode <em>Race Around The World</em>, which was only aired in the Spring of 2006 in North America. Go figure. And knowing how each episode tackles an entirely different musical genre, there aren't two songs here that sound alike. And yes, there <em>are</em> songs taken from the same episode here! Notable example is <em>The Quest For The Flying Rock</em>, with three songs picked for the album. Some sort of record?</p>

<p>Anyway, there isn't any theme holding the songs together. And the choices sound even a bit random, at times. But what matters is that the music in this album is a <em>surefire</em> way to keep the kids entertained, especially those who are already used to the show, of course. But also, this record is guaranteed to entertain <em>you</em> as well. And why? Because this doesn't sound like children's music <em>at all</em>! Forget about "child-like" arrangements from shows like Barney, and such. This stuff is professionally performed, masterfully written songs belonging to more than a dozen of different musical genres. The only thing that might remind you "hey, this is children's music!" are the vocals. But the kids are such great singers, you're bound to ignore that little fact entirely, and just focus on the insanely catchy melodies and the infectious music. This is addictive stuff, really. Why, don't you think I don't play this stuff to myself?</p>

<p>There are plenty of examples for me to pick. And about 80% of those songs up there will have a comment similar to "This song is BRILLIANT" from me, and variations on that theme. To begin at the start, let me talk about Evan Lurie's main theme for the song. You know, it's the one song in the CD that can't be fit in any genre whatsoever. I mean, what's this? Rockabilly crossed with Caribbean crossed with... who knows! In one side, there's the boogie woogie piano line, in the other are the looping, interweaved horn and woodwind lines, in the other the soft percussion, and amidst that all, the ridiculously clever and simple melody. You know, the second part of the song is just an upwards scale. Does it need anything else? Of course not! This song is genius, simply put. And hearing those kids singing it with such enthusiasm is a hoot and a half. And from there, the ride only gets more and more exciting.</p>

<p>For the record, the most represented style here is 70's disco, from the aforementioned <em>Quest For The Flying Rock</em>. It's hard to choose a favourite among those three, since they're <em>all</em> entertaining and catchy. And all pretty different, too! The main song, 'Flying Rock Song' combines dance rhythms, a parody of "The Gang's All Here" and a groovy, almost spaced-out chorus with the "float, flutter, fly" chant. 'Questing, Questing' is quite elaborate, with the pairs of explorers already firmly set, so you have verses handled by Uniqua and Tasha, and others by Pablo and Tyrone. And that extremelly groovy, danceable rhythm, too. And 'Trudge, Trudge, Trudge' is just catchy as hell, this time sung by the two boys. Nice lyrics, too! There's a lot more for those willing to dance, in this release. 'Buffalo Girls &amp; Boys' is a version of the famous, traditional tune, done in <em>rap</em> style. And I say it's <em>unbelievable</em> to hear the kids going "Cowgirls! Cowboys! Won't you come out tonight?" with such energy. It's particularly chilling in the end, when they all sing the melody together, with Tyrone singing one octave below, as usual. Incredible!</p>

<p>And the variety just keeps coming. You have Mexican salsa with Uniqua and Austin on 'You And Me To The Rescue' (which oddly features an extra verse that ISN'T on the show), followed by gorgeous bossa nova (redundancy?) with 'Castaways', reggae on the catchy 'A Pirate Says Arrr!' (Uniqua and Austin again), big band with Tasha's 'Queens Are Never Wrong'... chances are, you name it, we got it. Funk? Check out Pablo's showcase on 'Yeti Stomp'. Awesome! Great song, great singing. Tango? You bet we got it, on the funny 'Secret Agent'. From that same episode, <em>Secret Mission</em>, comes the odd hybrid of 'Laser Limbo Tango', which is played as the three agents (Pablo, Uniqua and Tyrone) cross a security door by doing the limbo under the laser beams. It's easily one of the most creative and beautiful arrangements on the album. Amazing work! Another interesting one is the reworking of 'Those Bones', using an African Township rhythm. Good one for fans of the two girls; they do a great job, as usual.</p>

<p>And I didn't even get to my favourite ones yet! I have always found <em>amazing</em> what they did to 'Row Your Boat', rearranging it as an R&amp;B doo wop song. It's just fantastic, and couldn't possibly have worked better than this. There's also the frenzied big band send up of 'P.U.!', with another awesome delivery by the main trio. But, oh, we're yet to reach the best stuff here! My favourite is 'Into The Thick Of It', from <em>The Heart Of The Jungle</em>. All songs from that episode, done in Gilbert &amp; Sullivan style, are absolutely gorgeous, but that one's the top. I don't know what's better: the melody, the fun orchestra playing, Austin's strategic "ughs" (done here by Jonah Bobo, and not Thomas Sharkey), Jamia Simone Nash's singing (check out those high notes!), or the climatic, ecstatic finale, which gets me every time ("Stuck in the thick of it! Stuck in the thick of it! STUCK IN THE THICK OF IT! WE'VE GONE AROUND IN CIRCLES!"). To me, that song's the ultimate proof of the show's genius - that and the inhumanly gorgeous 'I Want My River Back', from <em>The Key To The Nile</em>, which unfortunately isn't featured here.</p>

<p>The final three songs make up a fantastic stretch. 'When I'm Booin'', done in 20's jazz style with tapdancing, is my favourite Tyrone solo <em>ever</em>. It's a reworking of an old song, 'When You're Smilin'', and the lyrics are brilliant. Following it up is the amazing parody of 'Shine On, Harvest Moon', featuring all five characters, for once: 'Please And Thank You'. This is another moment of pure glory for the show, both because of the song itself, and also because of the amazing way the message of good manners is delivered by that episode, <em>The Key To The Nile</em>. But that's outside of the context of this review, isn't it? And so, we can reach the final song, the stunning 'Rockabilly Lullaby'. Taken from <em>Viking Voyage</em>, in which vikings Pablo, Tyrone and Uniqua are captured by the mermaid Tasha, this is the song the vikings sing to lull the mermaid to sleep, so they can escape. But it's a wonderful lullaby for non-mermaids as well. And seriously, this is tear-inducingly gorgeous. Jamia, once again, makes my brain burst, when it comes to her verse. But the whole song is magnificent, the melody <em>and</em> the arrangement. There couldn't be a better closer for the album.</p>

<p>Giving a rating to this is actually a difficult task. If I were to judge solely by the quality of the music, this would be an <em>unquestionable</em> 15. But the truth is that there's a lot of excellent material that's been left out, and they could have easily made a superior package. That means, this album <em>isn't</em> quite deserving of the perfect grade. But the fact is, the final rating should mirror the actual quality of the album, not the quality of what it could have been. So, a 14 it is.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Don't <em>dare</em> question this. The Backyardigans are always fun.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Don't try questioning this <em>either</em>. This music makes me feel like a Backyardigan, myself.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Has anyone ever done anything like this? No? Oh, okay.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>15/15</strong></big> - Not a single duffer, anywhere. Just genius.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Like I said, it's short, and quite random at times.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/14.png" alt="14" />
</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="music">Groove To The Music (2006)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Shake Your Body</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li>Hold On Tight <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Gotta Get The Job Done <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Shake Your Body ++</span></li>
  <li>Rad Moves</li>
  <li><span class="good">We're Going To Mars ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Drumming Song ++</span></li>
  <li>Eureka! <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>The Rules</li>
  <li>Tree To Tree</li>
  <li>What's So Scary 'Bout That?</li>
  <li>The Ballad Of The Brave Pink Knight <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">I Love Being A Princess ++</span></li>
  <li>Aha!</li>
  <li>Skate Ahead <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>We'll Get You What You Want <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Ski Patrol To The Rescue</li>
  <li>Super Heroes vs. Super Villains</li>
  <li>Oh My Sherman</li>
</ol>

<p>The much awaited follow-up to the first CD more or less confirms my theory that the track listings of the albums <em>were</em> created with the "shuffle" option turned on in Winamp. It's true, as the title suggests, there's more music to GROOVE to here than in the first album, but... the choices! By golly, the CHOICES! The fact still stands that these eighteen (eighteen? They took one away?!) tracks are all two-thumbs-up excellent, but... Eh! They could easily have pulled up a FANTASTIC selection of groovy, catchy tunes, but instead just came up with an... okay selection. Yeah, okay selection, and there you go. Another opportunity wasted? Perhaps. I'm not advocating that there's ONE IDEAL selection (my own ideal selection would differ <em>wildly</em> from the idea selections of other fans), but this is far from ideal,in my opinion.</p>

<p>Yes, there are high points. Very high points. But what I don't understand, for example, is why they picked 'Ski Patrol To The Rescue' from <em>The Snow Fort</em>, for example. It is a lovely, gentle country swing tune featuring Jamia ane Naelee, but what about 'I'm A Mountie', or even better, 'Who Can It Be'? The heated salsa of 'Super Heroes vs.Super Villains' is pretty great, but it sounds so... strange when it's taken out of context. 'Key To The World' would have made a better choice, I think. Same goes for 'Rad Moves', which was chosen over the <em>outstanding</em> 'Cruising The Dunes' and 'Surf's Up', or heck, Austin's 'Mystery Lifeguard', a fabulous parody of 'Guantanamera' (even though it is a ballad). <em>Monster Detectives</em> has been represented by Tyrone's double-awesome rockin' solo 'Gotta Get The Job Done' (he plays air guitar on the episode! A MUST see!), but even though the bluesy number 'The Rules' is brilliant,why not 'I'm A Soccer Monster'? Oh, well, enough complaints. Let's talk objectively for a minute.</p>

<p>This album finally sums up the complete first season (though <em>Race Around The World</em> is oddly not represented in either album, unless you count the 'Go! Go! Go!' video) and all its twenty episodes. The biggest surprise, though, is the addition of three songs from the <em>second</em> season, which was FAR from its premi&egrave;re! Incredibly exciting at the time, this move proved... a bit underwhelming, once the new season aired. Again, the choices could have been better. I mean, Pablo's solo 'Aha!' from <em>Whodunit?</em> is nifty, but 'Mysterious, Very Mysterious' is so much more insanely great that it isn't even funny. Fortunately, the tarantella send up of 'We'll Get You What You Want' (from <em>The Legend Of The Volcano Sisters</em>) and the murderously catchy 'We're Going To Mars' (from, yes, <em>Mission To Mars</em>) are good enough. More than good enough, in fact, in particular the latter. <em>Mission To Mars</em> has brilliant songs.</p>

<p>The great songs in the record, though, are so great that it's hard to talk about them. The only song from <em>The Quest For The Flyng Rock</em> with didn't make it to the first album made it here, and 'Shake Your Body' is amazing. The two girls sing brilliantly, and the disco rhythm grooves along without rest. Another highlight is the calypso percussion fest of 'Drumming Song', with Naelee Rae and Thomas Sharkey delivering one of the best tunes of their lives. 'I Love Being A Princess', done in Broadway theatrical fashion, is another highlight here, with Naelee at her best (and with one of the best scenes in the show's history, as the song winds up to its end: "Great is your fame, o princess!"; "Long may you reign, o princess"; and Jonah Bobo, once again, delivers the killer: "She's such a <em>pain</em>, that princess!"). The good stuff keeps coming with the 50's rockabilly of 'Hold On Tight', the big band swing of 'The Ballad Of The Brave Pink Knight', the beautiful township ballad 'Eureka!' (oh, those high notes!), the Irish jig of 'Tree To Tree' ("wheee, wheee!" - it can't get much more catchy than that), the caribbean groove of 'Skate Ahead', the 20's jazz of 'What's So Scary 'Bout That?', and the polka ballad 'Oh My Sherman' - a parody of 'Oh My Darling Clementine', no less! It's a great tune, but it kills me that they didn't choose the hysterical 'Feeding Time', also from <em>Polka Palace Party</em>. I see they wanted to end the album on a calming note, but you know what would be the PERFECT album closer? 'The Hokey Pokey', from <em>Cave Party</em>! I swear I have NEVER seen such an inventive and clever arrangement to that tune. It's perfect, and of course, it's not here - just like 'I Want My River Back', the second best Backyardigans song ever.</p>

<p>Anyway, the second season's already there, and if Nick Jr. is smart enough, a new album shouldn't come out with much delay. I just wished they could, at least, make a poll among the show's fans to build at least a bit of the track list next time around. My vote for 'I Want My River Back' will be there for sure - or at least 'Mysterious, Very Mysterious,'if the former is not available. What I know is, season two has a LOT of awesome material, but it still opens the possibility for some nonsense choices. Let's hope for the best!</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Yes, they are always fun, but not as much when taken messily and out-of-context!<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>14/15</strong></big> - There's VERY little here that passes me by (such as 'Rad Moves').<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Very little to be questioned here - just some genres are repeated.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>14/15</strong></big> - No questioning here either.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>11/15</strong></big> - Short and random! And still leaves a bit to be desired.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/13.png" alt="13" />
</p>

<hr />

<h2 id="album">Charlie And Lola's Favourite And Best Music Album (2006)</h2>
<p class="medium">
  Best song: <big>Greendrops</big>
</p>
<div class="medium">
  Track list:
</div>
<ol class="trackList">
  <li><span class="good">Charlie And Lola Theme Tune ++</span></li>
  <li>I Really Want To Play Music <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">The Bestest In The Barn ++</span></li>
  <li>Boo!</li>
  <li>Sizzles <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>I Will Not Ever Eat A Tomato <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Milk Monkeys</li>
  <li>Germs <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Magic</li>
  <li>Bat Cat</li>
  <li><span class="good">Lolaland ++</span></li>
  <li><span class="good">Greendrops ++</span></li>
  <li>I Am Not Sleepy <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Martian Attack <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>All Sleepy <span class="good">+</span></li>
  <li>Can You Maybe Turn The Light On</li>
  <li>Charlie And Lola Theme Tune (Extended Version) <span class="good">+</span></li>
</ol>

<p>I'm madly in love with <em>Charlie and Lola</em>, the brainchild of children's books author Lauren Child. Her books carry a very distinctive style of drawing (approaching very, very faithfully the rough, yet concrete style of a child) <em>and</em> of storytelling, showing mundane day-to-day topics in interesting, exciting and intelligent ways. The TV series follows pretty much the same thing, with clever animation (at times mixing actual photographs with the drawings),the brilliant talents of the actors (all children!) and a brilliant soundtrack. The show is a hoot, very smart and fun to watch (gotta dig those <em>thick</em> British accents), and recommended to children <em>and</em> their parents. I love how the show never even shows any adult, even though their presence is very often felt. The show focuses <em>strictly</em> on the kids, with 7-year-old Charlie and his 4-year-old sister Lola on the lead roles. Lola's best friend Lotta, as well as Charlie's own best friend Marv, are occasional, though very important supporting characters, and all of them are brilliant.</p>

<p>Anyway, this is the review of a MUSIC album. And the music is a very strong point of the show. Even though most of it is sequenced, the tunes often have a very eccentric, jazzy, modal feel, but even when they don't, they're insanely beautiful. This album, though, isn't a proper <em>soundtrack</em> to the show. This is more like the show transported to a musical media. Though there are plenty of tunes and stretches of uninterrupted music, the dialogue and "story" is also intended to be central to the record. And to me, that isn't necessarily a plus. The music is so awesome that I'd <em>love</em> to have an entire record focusing only on the songs, with little or no dialogue - even though I really enjoy the actors' work. But as it is, this is a record aimed towards the show's audience in general, not specifically towards the music aficcionados, like me.</p>

<p>But even with the complaint, the album is excellent. The dialogues, of course, don't hold a candle to the way they're portrayed on the show. The stories, though written about very, very simple topic, is very well thought-out and complex, and the songs only serve as an "overview" to them. The fatal mistake would to think that the episodes flow like the songs do. They don't! Sometimes, one song here is based on two completely different episodes which happen to share a faintly related theme - such as 'Sizzles', about Marv's dog, and 'Martian Attack'. The selection of segments is rather wise, and it does include many particularly noteworthy moments from the show. Some spots are considerably less interesting, though. For example, 'Boo!' is inspired on the hilarious <em>Boo! Made You Jump</em> episode, which narrates Lola's saga of trying to scare her big brother in a hilarious way; yet the song makes the tale quite pedestrian, and the show has better themes than that. 'Magic' is somewhat better, and oddly is the <em>only one</em> to feature Lola's imaginary friend, Soren Lorenson (ain't it an awesome name? It's inspired by Lauren Child's Danish boyfriend, by the way), and it <em>does</em> have the funny ending with Lola "disappearing" a donut (guess how!). There are some oddities, like the groovy "theme song" to the fictional "Bat Cat", one of the only tracks here to feature actual singing, and the short vignette 'Milk Monkeys', based on a fun, samba-like theme.</p>

<p>There are also some tracks here that aren't taken from stories. That includes, obviously, Ton Dyson and S&oslash;ren Munk's <em>insanely</em> catchy theme song, presented here in its "pure" form and in an "extended version", that closes the album (in theory). Also, 'The Bestest In The Barn' has Maisie Cowell, as Lola, and Morgan Gayle, as Lotta, actually singing a song of their own, which was the album's single. And a great one that is, with farm animals playing instruments and all. But the "story" songs also have many highlights. I can't help but name a few omissions from the track listing, for example, the "Ocean Nibbles" sequence from <em>I Will Not Ever, Never Eat A Tomato</em> (but then again, they included two sequences from that episode already) and the gorgeous-beyond-words "Flutterby Mountain" sequence from <em>I'm Really Ever So Not Well</em> (it features 'Strawberry Fields Forever' like flutes!), but hey, complaints always exist. As for the songs that ARE here, you've got an entire, albeit edited, sequence from <em>I Really Want To Play Music Too</em>, which oddly features a melody that <em>wasn't</em> used on the episode. I'm sad that it lacks the bit in which Lola suggests playing "one of those big, blowy things", and Charlie suggests a trombone (with a hilarious trombone lick kicking in out of nowhere) and then a trumpet (with a hilarious trumpet fanfare kicking in out of nowhere). The editing is awkward at times, but the song played at the end is fantastic. Gotta love that tricky, modal melody and the groovy arrangement.</p>

<p>In other parts of the record, you also get what I assume are "outtakes" from the episodes. For example, 'Sizzles' starts off with a small sequence from <em>We Promise Honestly We Will Take Care Of Your Dog</em>, and then, cuts to an extended version of the "pyjama party" scene from <em>I'm Not Sleepy And I Will Not Go To Bed</em>. Originally, I didn't think much of that simplistic piano theme, but this full-fledged version is awesome! I love it! Another example is 'Germs', which has an extended scene from <em>I'm Really Ever So Not Well</em> that was cut from the episode. It's indeed a bit unecessary in the episode, but here, it's hilarious, especially as the "germs" make their vocal performances. Another great musical theme there, by the way. Some other highlights include 'I Am Not Sleepy', with an extended, wacky arrangement of the episode's main tune, and 'I Will Not Ever Eat A Tomato', featuring a memorable scene from the show's very first episode. It's funnier on the show, with the collage of all the food items Lola lists, but it's great here, too. 'Martian Attack', like I said, joins two different episodes. The first half of it is awesome, with Charlie having his space adventure (featuring my favourite line in the album: "Charlie to Earth! Charlie to Earth! I need help; too many Martians! <em>IS THERE ANYONE OVER?!</em>"), and then it cuts into the "space race" sequence from <em>I Must Take Absolutely Everything</em> (if I recall correctly). The musical theme is, in my opinion, not among the show's best, but it does fine as well. I like Marv so much, especially because of Ryan Harris's scratchy voice. I wish he appeared more often in the album.</p>

<p>I haven't reached my absolute favourites, though. There's a "hidden track" after the final song, 'It's Snowing', and it's very gentle and just beautiful. 'Lolaland' is hilarious, with a jazzy theme and Lola and Charlie exchanging funny lines in Lola's made up language. It's a perfect marriage of music and words, and the "backing vocals" sung entirely in "Lolanguage" (ain't it genius?) add a special touch to the brew. 'Greendrops' is my favourite, though, and I'm ever so glad it's here. It's quite possibly the most gorgeous melody to ever grace this TV show, a gentle waltz that grows through increasingly thicker arrangements, reaching a short but delightful climax. I'm pretty sure it's an extended version, as well, compared to the TV version. This song alone guarantees one extra point to the record. I also like the "lullaby" section of the album, made up of 'All Sleepy' and 'Can You Maybe Turn The Light On', though the latter again doesn't feature some of the show's best themes. It's a pretty good pair of tracks, still.</p>

<p>There's one more interesting thing here: the album mixes up episodes from the first and second seasons, and the actors for Charlie and Lola are <em>different</em> in both seasons! It would be a challenge to guess, judging only by the album, what comes from season 1 and what comes from season 2. The voices are very, very similar (especially in Lola's case, as the season 2 voice is done by Maisie Cowell's little sister, Clementine), and you can only notice small differences between the voices of Jethro Lundie-Brown and Daniel Mayers, at times. The latter seems to have a slightly nasal voice, while the former's is deeper and scratchier. His voice in fact reminds me of Jonah Bobo, which inevitably sort of links Charlie with Austin, from The Backyardigans - and the association makes sense, since Austin and Charlie are pretty much the cartoonification of Chuck Norris, or even more than that. Oh, yes, great record, and even though it ain't my own "Favourite and Best," it's always a great, fun, pleasant listen.</p>

<p class="ratingHeader">
  Rating:
</p>

<p class="rating">
  <big>Fun factor:  <strong>13/15</strong></big> - The dialogue-oriented tracks do get in the way, a little.<br />
  <big>Resonance:   <strong>14/15</strong></big> - Man, these songs are VERY exciting and beautiful.<br />
  <big>Originality: <strong>13/15</strong></big> - It doesn't stand <em>too</em> far away from what we all know about children's shows' soundtracks, but it sure is creative.<br />
  <big>Richness:    <strong>13/15</strong></big> - Lots of great tunes abound.<br />
  <big>Solidness:   <strong>12/15</strong></big> - It's patchy at times, but overall, it works.
</p>

<p class="ratingFinale">
  Total: <img src="images/13.png" alt="13" />
</p>